Children's home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited in Cannock Chase

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The small staff team continues to provide young people with excellent care. Two young people have moved out since the last inspection. The manager and staff worked tirelessly to ensure that plans for both young people were right and that their moves were well supported. One of the young people said, ‘In all my years moving around in care, I finally felt like I had a home. You have changed the way that I view life. I’m going to make something of myself and that will be all thanks to individually the most caring people I’ve come across – you’re changing children’s lives.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two young people have moved into the home during 2017. They are thriving here. Young people already living at the home helped staff to prepare welcome baskets for them, with essentials and treats that would help them to feel at home from the start. A member of staff is teaching one new young person to swim. The young person said, ‘They take me out places. The staff are good. They keep us safe. They buy us things and sometimes do baking with us.’ The newest young person said, ‘I feel much better now I am living in [home’s name] and all staff are nice.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people do well because staff are confident practitioners. Staff use the therapeutic model of care that the manager has recently received and cascaded down to them all. They are optimistic and enthusiastic about the difference that they make to young people. A senior member of staff said, ‘The progress that young people make is great. One young person has gone from someone who would not come out of his room much to someone who is so much more curious.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff and the manager are extremely organised and focus on ensuring that young people’s complex difficulties do not create barriers to engaging in education. Staff and the manager continue to work with placing authorities, education specialists, alternative provisions and tutors effectively. Staff and the manager also continue to prioritise working with all three young people on encouraging good daily routines and improved social behaviour, so that they are able to engage in learning.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team has fluctuated in size over the seven months since the last inspection. At present, the core staff team has only five members, plus the manager. The organisation’s staffing model does not allow for a large enough team to provide three staff members to work with three young people. Temporary staff are therefore always required, without taking into account vacancies, sickness, holidays or training. Over many months, the manager has regularly used a mix of two peripatetic senior staff, three agency members of staff and sometimes cover staff from other homes. Lapses in staff practice have occurred that are attributable to these non-core staff. For example, a temporary staff member did not keep to the terms of his individual lone working risk assessment and the shift leader did not pick up on this. Similarly, a temporary staff member did not follow the home’s procedure on the storage of kitchen knives. A knife was unaccounted for until the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

member of staff came back on duty. A young person was questioned and his room searched unnecessarily. Overall, staffing shortages and the organisation’s core staffing limit compromise the core staff team’s outstanding practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is a proactive practitioner and leader. She continues to show her care for young people through daily acts of kindness and skilful conversations that nurture and help them. She trains, supports and shows her experienced staff team how to reflect, sustain and build on their already high standards of care. This includes suggesting relevant reading about therapeutic care practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is careful in arranging and delivering day-to-day care that protects young people well. However, she does not monitor complaints effectively and ensure that all necessary actions are taken following complaints. The manager cannot easily identify what is missing or ensure that all actions are taken because no running log of actions is completed. Documents are missing from the bundles pertaining to individual complaints and there are no references to where they should be. As a result, practice lessons are not always learned following allegations against staff.

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home forms part of a large social care company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 25/08/2016 Full Outstanding 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/10/2015 Full Good 29/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 30/04/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that the registered person demonstrates every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children's individual attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are alert to the possibility that children may be at risk from relationships with others, including with other children in the home, staff, family members, friends and others outside the home. Staff therefore should take appropriate steps to protect a child where there are concerns for a child's safety. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 43, paragraph 9.13)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference that adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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